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Thursday, Dec 01, 2005

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National

Call to resist pressure from developed countries

Special Correspondent

Centre urged not to sign Agreement on Agriculture at WTO conclave

AHMEDABAD: Over 50 organisations in Gujarat have joined the agitation demanding that the Centre stay away from signing the Agreement on Agriculture at the Hong Kong conclave of the World Trade Organisation ministerial from December 13 to 15. They asked the Government not to succumb to the pressure of the developed countries.

The Gujarat representatives joined the "People's Caravan" that came from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and will proceed to Rajasthan and later to Delhi to educate poor and illiterate farmers, particularly tribals, about the adverse impact the WTO agreement would have on their lives if signed by India in its present form.

"People's demand''

The Gujarat Khet Vikas Parishad convenor, Indubhai Jani; the Movement for Secular Democracy convenor, Sonal Mehta and representatives of other voluntary organisations told mediapersons here on Wednesday that about 10,000 people from the State were expected to attend the protest rallies in Delhi from December 8, including a demonstration in front of Parliament, to press the "people's demand" for India to stay away from the WTO agreement till agriculture was taken out of its purview.

The other demands of the organisations were that India should reject the Non-Agriculture Market Access (NAMA), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in their present form till the issues were thoroughly discussed by people's representatives.

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